Largely, and perhaps, surprisingly, GTA does a pretty good job of depicting U.S. gang life (fewer congratulations should be given for the London games). Rockstar seem to have gone to great lengths to nail a decently-accurate world for players to cause chaos in. Whether that's by modeling insurance so that your stuff doesn't go to hell because of another player, using actual South LA gang members for gangsters' voices, or creating a Los Santos so accurate that gamers who live in LA recognize many local landmarks. It all comes together to create a cogent world. It's safe to say they do an awful lot more than a game like Saints Row, on the other end of the spectrum, would ever dream of.

Like much crime media before it, however, it does have some slip-ups (sorry, but that immortal street-long shootout in Heat probably wouldn't happen). Whether they're compromises made to ensure smooth gameplay, poetic license, or simply extremely rare clumsiness on the part of Rockstar, some are definitely noticeable. Others require a keener eye. From "witness protection" arrangements which would make even the most corrupt FBI agent cautious, to contract killings which would cause police helicopters to descend on you like angry locusts, and maybe the most vicious turf wars in the history of humanity, this list contains the ones I've managed to notice. Let us know if there are any that you've noticed that aren't on here, we'd love to hear your views!

15 Hollywood Probably Wouldn't Be Ideal For Witness Protection

Michael’s informal witness protection scheme in GTA V is unquestionably ridiculous. Even if you get a deal from corrupt FBI agents after a heist gone wrong (and if you’re in that situation, quite frankly, well done), you won’t find yourself in Hollywood. The goal of witness protection is to hide you in plain sight. In the program, where you live will be chosen by U.S. Marshalls. Similarly, in the UK, witnesses are unlikely to find their living standard improve. You’re also trying to lay low, so living in a lavish mansion in the hills isn’t the best way to go about it. Granted, the informality of Michael’s protection could account for this, but if this is how he did it, he’s an idiot. The ending of Goodfellas, with Henry Hill living the life of an average Joe, is much more accurate.

14  Organized Crime Typically Tries To Keep On The Down-Low

Of all the Grand Theft Auto games, GTA IV has what is probably the most accurate representation of what life is like for members of organized crime outfits. The missions are largely not overwhelmingly nuts (which is also why GTA IV is my least favourite GTA), with a focus on staying relatively underground. Looking to GTA V’s pseudo-organized criminals, it’s suddenly a lot less realistic. Explosions, helicopters, and running gunfights are the order of the day -- with no care given to actually, you know, remaining hidden. It could be accounted for by noting that Trevor, Michael, and Franklin aren’t exactly mafiosos, but in that case how did they manage to stay active as stick-up men for so long? I guess having the FIB on your side gives you a MASSIVE advantage. Not enough that they won’t chase you, though.

13 The Reality Of Biker Gangs

GTA IV: The Lost And Damned is actually a fairly accurate representation of the biker lifestyle, and in depicting a large scale biker war akin to the Quebec Biker War. That doesn't mean it's without its clangers, however. For example, the dialogue is fairly clunky, relying on levels of cursing that'd probably make even hardened bikers blush. Johnny's good guy aesthetic, or at least, his desire not to start shit with the Angels of Death, seems unrealistic given the near-constant war that exists between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs. There's also the matter of Johnny working for Elizabeta, which seems out of touch with MC's reputation for miosgyny. It's probably one of the more realistic storylines in the GTA IV universe, but that doesn't mean that it's without some compromises made for gameplay.

12 Body Armor Doesn't Work Like That, Even When Criminals Get It

So in the GTA games, body armor tends to function as an addition to the health bar, right? It keeps you from getting actually hurt. While some criminals have always attempted to protect themselves by wearing armor, it doesn’t work like that in reality, even when they do. Ballistic vests designed to protect against bullets are made of kevlar, making them resistant to low-velocity gunshots, but not knives, as the kevlar works by essentially catching and slowing down the bullet with the kevlar threads, while a knife can still penetrate them. Knives are also not typically made of a soft metal like lead. Higher-level body armor, that involves putting ceramic or metal plates into the vest, can stop rifle rounds. However, even at the higher levels, repeated shots can penetrate or cause trauma. Lower levels, like the medium armor in GTA V, would do nothing to protect you from rifle rounds.

11 The Noticeable Lack Of Women In Gangs

Grand Theft Auto’s gangs all have one thing in common. They’re all overwhelmingly dominated by guys, which isn’t that reflective of reality. It’s estimated that around 10% of the gang members in the U.S. are women, and that they typically join for the same reason men do, poverty and a lack of job prospects being at the forefront. There are even some all-female gangs in the U.S., and yet I can only think of a few female gangsters from the series. Catalina springs to mind, lunatic that she was, as does Elizabeta Torres from GTA IV. However, none of them have had particularly strong roles in their games’ stories, with them typically being fairly minor supporting characters. It’d be pretty cool to see a character like Denise ending up as a gang leader in the next Los Santos GTA.

10 Giving The Direct Line

So, cellphones have seen a lot of interpretations in the GTA games. From the massive brick phone which CJ carts around and stores god only knows where to Niko’s Nokia-alike to actual smartphones, they have one thing in common. The same phone is used for literally everyone, from family to criminal associates. In reality, if you’re smart and want to conduct some illegal business on the side, you’d use a burner phone, a simple, disposable prepaid phone which you can easily destroy if necessary. By doing this, criminals prevent themselves from being tracked without having to toss away heaps of money buying a smartphone each time. They also have the advantage of not being able to be linked to family or friends, preventing investigators from building up a social network around the perp.

9 Being Wanted Can't Be Escaped By Hiding For A While

We’re all familiar with GTA’s wanted system. You commit a crime, cops come after you and, depending on the game, you either attempt to outrun them or you hide in a secluded location while cops swarm around you like ants. While simply running away may work for some lesser crimes, like shoplifting, for more severe crimes like drug dealing or murder, you’re not going to simply escape and be home free. For criminals on the run, life is tough, and avoiding capture is a full-time job. It usually involves changing what you look like, staying out of touch with your family and friends, and, perhaps the hardest of all, not using your bank account. The police will be tracking the account, and seeing money being withdrawn in some far-flung place is a massive, glowing, neon-red flag.

8 Pretty Much All Of The Ballad Of Gay Tony

The Ballad Of Gay Tony is my favourite game in the GTA IV universe, and with good reason. It’s totally nuts, harking back to the madness of games like Vice City and San Andreas, rather than the murky (relative) realism of GTA IV. However, because of that, it’s also by far the most unrealistic. From using shotguns with explosive shells in the middle of the largest city in the U.S., to stealing a subway car with a helicopter, or wiping out an entire gang, the missions and madness of Gay Tony are things which would be headline news if they ever happened, not simply something which could be brushed under the carpet. TBOGT seems like it pointed out the direction the devs wanted to take for GTA V, a decision which I'm glad for, despite the huge drop in realism.

7 The Army Aren't Called Out For Criminals

Commit too many crimes in the world of the early GTA games and you face the ultimate enemy you could ever encounter: the world’s most powerful military. Putting aside the army using equipment like main battle tanks in urban areas, which would obviously be extraordinarily dangerous, the army would literally never be called out to deal with a criminal in reality. There are only a couple of situations in which the military would ever be used: massive riots and terrorist incidents. In the latter’s case it’s also way more likely that special forces would be used in limited numbers, rather than an out-and-out display of military superiority more likely to be seen on the battlefield. Then again, in reality, criminals also don’t typically steal tanks, fighter jets or attack helicopters, either.

6 Changing Your Name Isn't The Ultimate Disguise

Going back to a topic I touched upon earlier in this article, changing your last name to a known alias is not a great way to stay hidden in witness protection. While it is actually true that first names or initials often stay the same simply to make it easier, and the name changes are then legally sealed, it’s also not the case that you always keep the same name. Even in death, you can be buried under your assumed identity. Take, for example, Gary T. Rowe. Rowe was a deeply controversial informant, known for continuing to be an active member of the Klan while informing on them to the FBI. When he died in 1998, he was buried under the same name that the feds had given him years ago, Thomas Neal Moore.

5 The Reality Of Contract Killings

Like most popular depictions of the contract killing trade, GTA's depictions are pretty wide of the mark. In a study done by Birmingham City University in the UK, the real-life habits of hitmen were revealed to be far from the explosive antics of GTA IV and V. Overwhelmingly, rather than being killed on a yacht, or while they were working, many killings were carried out in the same area that the victim lived-in, typically while they were doing something innocent like shopping or walking their dog. Most killings were carried out by gunshots, but relatively few were carried out using weapons like sniper rifles. However, even if Niko or Franklin use sniper rifles, they’d likely be caught in the real world, with forensic evidence like cartridges left all over the place. In reality, master assassins are much like Agent 47, cool, calculated, and leaving little to no evidence behind.

4 Turf Wars Don't End In Hours

Do you remember the turf war system from GTA: San Andreas? It’s a neat gameplay mechanic that allows you to head out and paint the town green, taking territory back from the Ballas and Vagos for the Families. In reality, turf wars aren’t over in a couple of hours of intense violence, however. Instead, they can last years. Take the gang battles for Chicago in the 1920s for instance. This battle between the Chicago Outfit against the Irish North Side gang, which lasted for over five years. For a more modern and even more brutal example, look at the Mexican Drug War. The ongoing war between the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas has killed more than 12,000 gang members, but the battle for supremacy has been raging for close to 11 years.

3 The Slipping Power Of The Italian Mob

The Italian Mafia are a huge presence in GTA IV, but just how powerful are they today really? Countless media depictions have made it seem like they’re still as powerful as they were 30-40 years ago, but in reality, their power is slipping somewhat. The Mafia’s power is still there, to a more limited extent, in their traditionally strong areas such as Chicago and New York, but their numbers are extremely limited in comparison to other groups including street gangs like the Crips and Bloods or larger enterprises like the Mexican drug cartels. The RICO act and improved police methods, combined with improving job prospects for Italian and Sicilian-Americans has put paid to a large proportion of their power. However, they have experienced a slight resurgence in recent years due to a larger federal focus on terrorism over organized crime.

2 GTA: Chinatown Wars' Drug Dealing

When Chinatown Wars brought the franchise to the DS for the first, and only time, it also brought a new method of making huge amounts of cash: drug dealing. It’s vastly simplified, and while actually not too unrealistic, there are some big flaws. Vice spoke to a drug dealer who took the game’s mechanics apart. In-game, hallucinogens can typically bring a 25% profit, which in reality, is around half of what you’d hope to make. Downers, like ketamine and benzos, are also extraordinarily undervalued. There’s also the issue of purity. In-game, it can be assumed that all the drugs have the same relative purity, whereas in reality, buying cheap drugs that are highly-cut, and attempting to sell them to users used to high-end gear, would not net you repeat customers, if you were able to sell the stuff at all.

1 GTA's Strange Moral Flexibility

It’s weird to use a word like morals in a game where murder is as common as hot coffee, but it does have a strange moral system that’s worth examining. Certain crimes are completely verboten for depiction, but are extremely common in real-world organized crime. Many gangs, for example, commit high levels of human trafficking, whether for forced sex work or helping immigrants cross borders. Refusing to depict a crime so traumatic and unpleasant is understandable in a game that wants to keep players having fun (shipping sex slaves would be horrific and just plain wrong, for example). However, it does show an interesting moral side to society at large. Murder is depicted as something that’s excusable, presumably because it’s one-and-done, but something like trafficking could never be depicted in a game without taking a huge risk, mainly due to the huge psychological impact it has on victims.